Is the Trump era finally over ?

Although I voted for Biden and I am happy in many ways that he won, it’s hard to be ecstatic with the results from the current election. The democrats raised their tally from 66 million votes for Hillary Clinton to 74 million votes for Biden. But it is hard to miss the fact that 70 million people still voted for Trump in 2020, compared to 63 million in 2016.

While Trump’s base is often characterized as single issue voters such those who are for white supremacy, against immigration, for conservative judges in the Supreme court, for lower taxes etc., I know many Trump voters personally who are quite well versed with both domestic and world affairs to be driven by a single issue. They are ready to look the other way even when they realize that he doesn’t pay taxes, fires his deputies for the flimsiest of reasons, and denies science, data and climate change. But why? I can think of a few reasons.

First, Trump wasn’t afraid of looking at the rot in the American system and calling it out. Like a head of the household saying that the roof has a leak and something must be done about it. Previous presidents only talked good platitudes and hopes of a brilliant future, without acknowledging the pain of people who have been left behind by globalization. Surely it is powerful to have someone who acknowledges your situation, not as a destitute who should be given healthcare and benefits, but as a deserving person who is deprived their fair share. What could be more intoxicating than bringing back the glory of the past? Then Trump broke up free trade agreements and put the thrust of his foreign policy to fix the balance of trade, which is evidence that this wasn’t just talk. Next, Trump took on China and brought some of the largest corporations to their knees, instead of the classic refrain in Washington that China is a big player and we just have to find a way to work with them, even though they might steal intellectual property and curtail freedoms. Despite the hit on US agricultural exports, states such as Iowa are still red in 2020. On immigration, Trump took on the onus of reforming the system to make it skills based rather than a lottery and refugee based. And on law and order, he successfully campaigned on fears that the lack of policing from the defunding movement would cause an increase in crime.

I won’t detail the negatives of Trump as there are far too many and I am glad that this era is about to end. But I do think that Trump has changed the direction of US policy permanently, and if some of the issues that he campaigned on aren’t addressed, Trumpism may strike back in 2024.